Take Photos of Dogs in the Laps of Their Humans

The doggie-in-the-lap shot is an obvious choice for little pups, although plenty of 80-pound lap dogs are out there, and if they and their owners are game, you can try taking these shots with them, too! The motto is, “Go for whatever represents the relationship!”

If the dog is little, you have a few more options to consider. You can have the dog lie on the human’s lap and instruct the human to look down at her. Wait for the moment when the dog looks up at the human and snap away. Zoom in tight to capture the expression on the human’s face or go wide to get the whole body in the shot.

Or maybe you notice grass and mud stains on the person’s jeans from when she was romping in the yard earlier with Ruby; including that detail in the shot conveys that human and dog like to play and get dirty together (and if Ruby still has dirt on her paws, so much the better).

Or have the person give Ruby a good scratch under her chin or behind her ear or lean down and give Ruby a kiss on the head.

Or maybe Ruby isn’t the get-dirty type at all; maybe she prefers well-groomed fur and to be carried around in her bag. That’s fine, too. You can set her bag on her human’s lap and let her pop her little head out.

If someone’s really into the formal thing, you can use a chair and have Ruby sit up straight and proper on her human’s lap while both of them look directly into the camera.

If Ruby’s a big-boned gal, you can still get some lap-oriented shots. Try having her lie on the couch (or floor) with her human next to her so that just Ruby’s front feet and head are in her person’s lap, and then zoom in on Ruby’s momma planting a kiss on that big mush’s head.

Dummies Insider

Sign up for insider news on books, authors, discounts and more content created just for you.